BJP made big gains in the Rajya Sabha elections, winning all nine (out of 10) seats it contested in Uttar Pradesh. With 19 MLAs, the BSP is short of 18 first preference votes and with Naresh Agarwal's son Nitin, who is still an SP MLA, likely to cross-vote for the BJP, the task will become hard for the candidate of the Mayawati-led party.

The Rajya Sabha election results showed that incumbent regional parties in states such as West Bengal and Telangana continue to perform well.

Independent MLA Aman Mani Tripathi also said he was with "Maharaj ji" and would vote for the BJP. - Counting halted in Karnataka: Minister Kagodu took two ballot papers. As the result of biennial elections to 58 seats in the Upper House were declared late on Friday, the party in power was able to establish their majority in Upper House.

For the lone seat in Chhattisgarh, the BJP's Saroj Pandey was elected, defeating Lekhram Sahu of the Congress. Of the 33, the BJP won 17.

Hitting out at the Congress, H D Kumaraswamy said chief minister Siddaramaiah as part of his "bhagya" schemes has provided even "Mathadhara Bhagya" (polling bhagya) in the state for its own legislators.

While the ruling Congress is confident of getting all its three candidates elected, the BJP is confident of shoring up its numbers in the Rajya Sabha, but two seats - in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka - have emerged as the prestige battles for the party.

UP independent MLA Raja Bhaiya's vote in the Rajya Sabha election was seen as especially significant

In Telangana, TRS candidates B Prakash, B Lingaiah Yadav and J Santosh Kumar were elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, she claimed that it was due to fear that some people cross-voted in the polls. The reason for that is, any bill which is introduced by the government in Lok Sabha, has to be passed by it with majority and if passed then it needs to get approval from the Upper House of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha. The BJP also secured one seat in Karnataka with Rajeev Chandrasekhar's win.

Though Agarwal received only 16 first preference votes against 33 notched by BSP's Ambedkar, the saffron candidate went through because of the huge number of second preference votes: a factor which acquires critical importance in such fluid situations.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, supported by the Trinamool Congress, won in West Bengal, while the CPM's Rabin Deb, backed by the Left, lost.

The BJP has avenged its recent twin Lok Sabha bypoll loss to the SP-BSP combine in UP by defeating the SP-backed BSP candidate in a Rajya Sabha poll in the state. While the Congress won only 10 seats, with 14 of its members retiring next week.

In Kerala, rebel Janata Dal (United) MP Veerendra Kumar was re-elected with the support of ruling CPI (M)-led LDF.

The Rajya Sabha got adjourned till Monday, following the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs stormed into well of the house over demand of special status for Andhra Pradesh.

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